From Dusk Till Dawn

The mythological stone sculptures of Wiltshire County, England attract thousands to watch the sunrise at Stonehenge on the Summer Solstice. Whatever reason brought them there, the collective spiritual moment of watching that sunrise, with or without the sun, can be nothing short of magical for those in attendance.

Like the pyramids of Egypt, the Incan temples of Peru (where the winter solstice celebration of Inti Raymi is simultaneously occurring), and the Moai of Rapa Nui, the great Stonehenge is one of mankind’s ancient architectural mysteries. But what is all the fuss about some cleverly stacked stones in the English countryside? It’s the sheer size of these massive monoliths that boggles the mind, in light of the ancients’ lack of modern day machinery. Where did these 25-ton stones come from? The closest feasible quarry is no less than 25 miles away. The stones have been estimated to have been raised around 2600 BC but the site itself well predates even that. Everyone seems to have a theory about it. For sheer entertainment purposes, just ask around. You’ll be sure to hear some wildly conflicting stories. Some revellers might tell you it’s an ancient burial grounds, others imagine it’s an astrological observatory – an oversized sun dial of sorts, while some wide-eyed believers are convinced it’s proof of an alien visitation or other supernatural phenomenon. The Neolithic culture that produced them had no written history, so it remains a mystery.